New Release: Remington RP Pistol

One of the biggest trends in the firearms industry in recent years has been the development of more and more polymer-framed striker-fired handguns. What started many years ago with only a few manufacturers has now grown to include a large portion of the big name gun makers. In the past several years, even companies that haven’t traditionally been involved with striker-fired guns have started developing and producing them.

Remington is the latest such company to make this move. Earlier this week, news leaked that Remington would be introducing a new full-size polymer-framed striker-fired pistol dubbed the Remington RP, with models being available in 9mm and .45 ACP.

As someone who attended Remington’s annual New Product Seminar in West Virginia back in September, I wasn’t surprised at the news. However, it did come a little earlier than expected, with the announcement originally slated to happen later this year.

During the course of the New Product Seminar, I was able to put some rounds through the new Remington RP9 to get a feel for it. Obviously, this brief interaction with the new gun wasn’t enough to result in a full-fledged review. However, I am comfortable offering some initial observations and impressions on Remington’s latest handgun.

To begin, the new Remington RP does indeed utilize a single-action striker-fired trigger, which has a trigger pull of 5.5 to 7 pounds. During my time with the RP9, I found that it broke fairly clean and crisp, and featured a pretty short reset. Both the break and the reset seemed consistent, and I had little problem hitting the steel targets the folks at Remington had set up at about 15 or 20 yards.

The RP features drift adjustable sights which shooters can adjust to their particular preference. The rear sights also incorporate a “fighting surface” that allows the user to rack the slide with a single hand. While I never used this feature in my short time with the gun, it’s certainly a nice touch. Overall, the sights seemed perfectly adequate and more or less what you’d expect on a full-size striker-fired pistol.

At 7.91 inches in overall length and a height of 5.56 inches, and with a weight of 26.4 ounces, the Remington RP is a relatively large handgun, yet it feels pretty comfortable in the hands. It’s likely not something you’ll end up using as an everyday carry piece, but it feels smaller in hand than it initially appears.

I think much of that might be due to the ergonomic grip frame Remington has developed for this gun, which the company states should fit 95 percent of all shooters. In addition to the slim grip circumference, the grip features an undercut trigger and a very comfortable grip angle, both of which permit a higher hand hold and help with recoil and control. And, as with a lot of the new polymer-framed guns on the market, the Remington RP also comes with interchangeable back straps for small, medium or large hands.

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What Remington was able to accomplish with the grip is even more impressive given the capacity of the RP9 and RP45 (which I did not get a chance to shoot at the event). The RP9 has a capacity of 18+1, one more than both the Glock 17 and Ruger’s American pistol. The RP45 is even more impressive, boasting a capacity of 15+1.

The Remington RP utilizes a 4.5-inch stainless barrel. Both the barrel and the slide receive a PVD finish to increase durability. Other useful features include a loaded chamber indicator, front and rear slide serrations, a reversible magazine release and a standard picatinny rail for attachments like lights or lasers. With its impressive magazine capacity and its rail, the new RP would make a good choice for home defense for those looking.

MSRP on the new Remington RP will be set at $489, which means it should be a very affordable option for a wide variety of shooters. For more info on the Remington RP, visit the Remington website.

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Drew Warden is the Managing Editor of Gun Digest the Magazine. His articles have appeared in Gun Digest the Magazine, Guns & Ammo special publications and online at Guns & Ammo and Shooting Times. He is an avid upland bird and waterfowl hunter, but his firearm interests vary from modern tactical guns like the AR-15 to classic historical and military surplus firearms as well.